Just out of curiosity, are the (rather pretty) flowers white/purple and bloom in the evening?

I don't believe you have anything going wrong. I'm growing 6 eggplants myself and so far no fruits. The spikey balls you are talking about are flowers and mine have them too.

Big plant - that's a standard 4' chain link fence behind it, for scale. It's taller than most of my tomatoes:

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Spiky balls:
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The flowers are closed in these pix (they were taken at twilight) but yes, they are long (3.5") white and purple trumpets. I think they're open during the day.

Thanks for your thoughts. My garden is very tiny so that's why I'm trying to figure out if this massive plant is going to be worth the space it's taking up.

That is definitly not an eggplant, its a datura, and its highly poisonous if ingested. Those spiky pods are the seed pods, and if left alone they will open and spread seeds all over the place. I can guarantee that the seeds will winter over, I'm a little further North from you on Long Island and my daturas will drop seeds and the seeds will come up the following spring. Do a google search on datura and also jimson weed.
Alberta

Outsiders71, where are you located? I dont have any fruit and I figured I would by now. I do get lots of purple and yellow flowers, and the blosoms end does have some spikes on it.

OP, was the plant you bought labled eggplant? That is horrible if it was and you got a poisonos plant.

that is a weed commenly known as gympsome weed, back in the 70s people used to injest the seed in those spikey ball and get some kind of acid like high ,sorry!

Hahaha! Holy s#!t! I'll be sure not to eat any then.

No, this was a seedling, and it looked just like an eggplant when it was young, with its broad leaves, purple stems and purple/white flowers. I had so many tomato seedlings sprouting all over the place that I just assumed this one was from last year as well.

I saw a datura plant once (tho not the seed heads) but it didn't occur to me to consider plants that weren't planted in this garden last year - especially highly toxic ornamentals that I've never seen in my area!

I bet it hitched a ride in with the manure I spread this spring. Thanks for the id, even though I feel incredibly foolish :)

Orangedragonfly:

I'm located in OH. BTW I just saw today my first eggplant fruit, it's about the size of a golf ball. So have patience they'll be coming. I think the problem is the lack of hot weather.

That is definitely not an eggplant ;).

here's a shot of my eggplant for reference.
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Ladychroe,
Don't feel foolish, it happens to the best of us, LOL. I started many tomato plants this year and gave away many, my sister in law called me a few weeks ago telling me that I had to come by and see the vine that is growing within the tomato plants that I gave her. The damn plant stood over 12 foot tall, (we measured) and what was it? Damn Jimson weed. They had gotten some compost from one of the municapal places around here, it had to come in with that, cause it wasn't in the soil that I had the tomato plants in. Remember though if you let that plant there, you'll have it for years to come, because those spike will open and deposit the seeds all over. Good luck!!
Alberta

I signed up just to tell everyone on this post. Thank you!!! I was trying to identify this plant that grew in my garden and if it were not for the pics you posted I would not have. Now, does anyone know? How do I get rid of it?

To get rid of it ... slice it off at the base with a shovel, put it into a trash bag and dump it in the trash.

Datura is a lovely plant, but not in a veggie garden.

Thank You! So very much! It is very beautiful. I am sure it arrived with my soil? I had never seen anything like it before, so i let it grow! Now I know and you are correct NOT in my veggies. Thanks to everyone!

Datura is in the same family as your eggplant, Solanaceae.

OP here. How funny that this has been bumped up to the top. What I novice I was back then. Rhizo, it does relieve the sheepish feeling to know that they are both in the eggplant family.

I don't really remember if I yanked it or cut it down. I DO remember it smelling like death as I did so, and I had trouble getting it off my hands. Ugh.

PS- We moved away from that little property in 2012, and it's sweet to see it again :)